Endless Tale
by Lady Kayena
Summary: Our destiny is something we cannot escape from. It's something destined to happen one way or another. We live in an endless cycle that we can never quite get away from. We are doomed to repeat our past life over and over again until the end of time.
1. Default Chapter

This story is kind of like a side story to my other fic, Lost Thoughts, but it's not directly related. I suggest you read it to insure further confusion concerning this story.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own fruits basket or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
  
Characters: Akira (It means bright in Japanese)= Akito   
  
Yutaka = Yuki  
  
Kai (It means fire, earth and ocean in Japanese)= Kyou  
  
Hataru= Haru  
  
Katsume (she's my original character) = Kyami  
  
  
  
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"Honda-san," called out the voice of Yuki from inside the corridors, "Are you in there?"  
  
Tohru looked up from a huge box covered with dust as she answered, "Hai, Yuki-kun. Please come in."  
  
The door opened slightly as a fair featured figure entered the room, "What are you doing in here Honda-san?" he questioned, eyeing the box suspiciously.  
  
"I was just cleaning out my closet," she answered, almost embarrassed by the mess in her room, "it's been a while since I last looked at them. So I thought it would be nice if I clean it out."  
  
Yuki nodded in understanding, as a book lying on top of the bed caught his attention. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to take his eyes off of it as if it was calling to him. Tohru saw the direction of his gaze and picked it up as she answered, "I got this from an antique shop when I was eight. I was in there with my mom, when the shopkeeper said that it was calling to me and it wanted me to take it."  
  
"It was calling to you?" Yuki inquired, fingering the leather cover of the dark green book in Tohru's hand, as he read the letters up front, "Endless Tale," he said in a slightly interested tone as he squinted his eyes to read the smaller letter on the bottom, "Our destiny is something we cannot escape from. It's something destined to happen one way or another, with or without our approval. We live in an endless cycle that we can never quite get away from. We are doomed to repeat our past life over and over again until the end of time."  
  
"It seemed like an interesting book so my mom bought it for me, but I was only able to get to the first page of it, because the other pages seemed to be stuck together," Tohru answered, slightly disappointed as she handed Yuki the leather covered book, "I haven't seen this in years. I thought I lost it 8 years ago, when we moved."  
  
Yuki nodded in acknowledgement as he read the name on the bottom of the book, he then gasped in shock as Tohru stared at him, evidentially worried, "its written by Souma Yunosuke during the Edo period. 1618 to be specific."  
  
"Souma?" Tohru questioned, "now I know where I've heard the name Souma before I even met you. It was from this book. I probably would've remembered it, but I really thought I had lost this. I'm sorry Yuki-kun!"  
  
"Dai-jo-bu Honda san," Yuki smiled kindly before opening the front cover of the ancient book, "this really should be a family artefact if it was actually written by a Souma during that time. I wonder how it ended up in an antique shop." Yuki slowly scanned the first page of the book before reading it out loud, "Our family was bound together by the curse, the very same one that separates us from the rest of society. It all started with a simple wish that would change our lives forever-, 1598-1601 Azuchi-Momoyama." 'So Yunosuke-san knew about the curse. I never knew it went so far back. Maybe, maybe he knows how it all started, and maybe he knows how to break it,' Yuki thought hopefully as his eyes scanned the page once more.  
  
"Curse? It means that this is actually by a cursed member of the Soumas during the Azuchi-Momoyama period?" asked Tohru, going off to her shocking mode; "You mean I could've known about you earlier without me knowing it? I'm sorry for not telling you about this book! If I did then maybe I could've understood you even more! I'm sorry Yuki-kun!"  
  
"It's alright Honda-san, really," Yuki tried to reassure the apologetic girl before reading further from the book, "Blood is the strongest bond of all. It is the key to unveil many mysteries," Yuki finished uncertainly before asking Tohru, "Did you say that the pages were stuck from now on?"  
  
"Hai Yuki-kun," Tohru answered, relaxing a little, "It wouldn't open no matter how hard I tried."  
  
"Maybe the last passage meant something…" he read the sentence once more as he chewed his lower lips, "blood is the strongest bond of all… what could it mean? And how would it be the key to unveil many mysteries?" Yuki trailed his finger along the ancient pages of the dark green book, before trying to pull it open, but without any success.  
  
"Maybe it means that families share a special bond. Only with that bond that this book can be opened?" Tohru suggested, eyeing the book with new interest.  
  
"That makes sense Honda-san," Yuki answered, shooting her a sweet smile before getting up from her bed, "maybe I should call Shigure or Kyo to see if they can open it. They are family after all."  
  
"Hai, Yuki-kun!" Tohru agreed before, rushing out of her room and down the stairs, calling Shigure and Kyo's names.   
  
"Sometimes she gets way to excited and gets too reckless. If she keeps going on like that, she'd get hurt one of these days," Yuki muttered to himself hopelessly, as he made his way down the staircase with the leather-covered book tucked safely under his arm. 'Maybe this is the key to unveil the mystery within our curse?'  
  
~To be continued~ 


	2. The Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning  
  
The entire household sat around the low table of the dinning-room, eyeing the book in the middle suspiciously. It stayed like that for 5 minutes before anybody decided to make a movement, as if something bad would happen to the first person that decided to move. The silence slowly grew too uncomfortable to bear as Tohru called out nervously, "Ano… Isn't anybody going to try to open it?"   
  
"I'm not doing it!" yelled Kyou angrily, "I didn't want to be here in the first place! Let that Kuso Nezumi do it, since he's good at about everything else!"  
  
"Shut up, Baka Neko!" Yuki yelled back, before turning his attention back onto Tohru, "I'll do it Honda-san, but I don't think it's going to work since it didn't the first time."  
  
"Well…what if you open it with another person like the book suggested?" Shigure pointed out thoughtfully as he lent a hand to Yuki.  
  
"I don't know how that's going to help?" Kyo muttered, half bored out of his skin.  
  
"Maybe it has magic powers?" Shigure suggested, tracing his finger along its ancient pages, "it was possible for Yunosuke-san to put a curse or a spell under it. It was possible during those times." He always had a fascination with books, especially ancient ones. He was a writer after all.   
  
"You actually believe in those stuff?" Kyo questioned darkly, glaring at him through his bangs.  
  
"Not a lot of people believe in curses, but us, Soumas are the living proof of that curses does exist!" exclaimed Shigure loudly in an Ayame fashion, as everybody else in the room sweat dropped.  
  
"Anyways…" Yuki tried to change the subject, "let's try opening this book together."  
  
Shigure and Yuki both kept a firm grip on the base of the book as they inserted a hand each into its ancient pages. Dusts came flying out of it as the book turned onto the second page.   
  
"I guess that worked…" Shigure added as an after thought, as he started to read the page out loud.   
  
"You seek my journal, because you desired to know how we became the way we are and what had triggered it, just as I did. My name is Souma Yunosuke. I'm the first mouse in the family. My father was Souma Akira, the most important person within our family. I believe it was his greed that doomed us all and ended our control over our own fates. It all started 20 years ago, on the day of Hideyoshi Tohyotomi's funeral.  
  
Hideyoshi was an important character in the Japanese history, one of the most powerful of daimyos ever known. Therefore, Samurai from all over the country came to Kyoto to mourn his death, bringing their families with them. My father, grandfather, uncle, and many other relatives were among them. The Soumas were a highly respected family back then. Souma Kanomatsu was one of the most loyal daimyos under Hideyoshi's command. He had two sons, my father Akira, and my uncle Yutaka. My father was the elder son by three year's difference. Both of them were fair featured and exceptionally bright for their age. Many local Daimyos tried to persuade them to take their daughters in the hands of marriage, but they politely refused, knowing there was something greater in life.  
  
And that's how everything started-  
  
~April 28, 1598~ The Trip  
  
Today was an exceptionally nice day. The sun was shinning brightly above, with a small hint of clouds in sight. Soft spring breeze was brushing nicely against everybody, making the weather just perfect for a small trip. The Souma family owned a nice big castle just out of Kyoto. Beautiful sakura trees were planted inside the grounds to give it a hint of royalty and beauty. The Soumas controlled more than half of the property in Southern Japan at the request of Hideyoshi Tohyotomi. They were considered one of the royal bloods in Japan, because of their power and their interesting history.  
  
"One of you is accompanying me to Kyoto," said the calm and collected voice of Souma Kanomatsu, seated across from his two sons, "it would be for the funeral ceremony."  
  
"I'll go father," said the two at the same time, making both of them turn to the other, before two small smiles crept up their faces.   
  
"Can't we both go father?" pleaded the older son hopefully; his eyes were full of excitement and hopefulness.   
  
"We wouldn't want to leave the other behind," added the younger son with the same expression.   
  
"I wish I could, but if too many people go, we'd attract a lot of attention," he responded, sighing hopelessly, "There are a lot of people that would wish to kill us off and take our property."  
  
"Then wouldn't it be safer to take more people along for safety issues," the lighter haired boy suggested. His eyes were now filled with interest and anxiety, hoping to be able to go to Kyoto with his father and his older brother.  
  
"I'm afraid not," he answered, followed by an exasperated sigh, "The enemy can out number our Samurais by at least 5 times. It would be better if we just go under disguise and with as least commotion as possible until we can find more ally Samurais who are willing to fight alongside us."   
  
"Father, we would fight by your side until the very end!" said the determined Akira as he slammed his hands down onto the table with sheer determination.  
  
"I know you will Akira, and you too Yutaka," the father smiled lovingly before finally deciding, "You may come with me, but have extreme caution and dress in regular clothing, so you won't stand out TOO much." Knowing the fact that any women would go hysterical and would be bowing by their feet if they even catch a glimpse of them.   
  
"Thank you, father," Akira and Yutaka both bowed to the older man in gratitude, before excusing themselves to go packing in their rooms.  
  
"I can't wait to go!" exclaimed the excited Akira to his younger brother as they entered the courtyard, "it would be my first time in Kyoto!"  
  
"I know, same here Onii-chan," agreed the younger man as he made his way into his brother's room, to get a chance to talk to him in private, "do you think this trip will be safe for father?"  
  
Akira's mood faltered greatly as he slowly shook his head, "I don't know Yuta. We do have a lot of enemies that we've gather over the years."  
  
Yutaka nodded in agreement, as he settled himself down on the wooden floor, "We'll protect him if it means risking our own lives."  
  
"Agreed," Akira answered, putting his hand above his brothers in agreement as the door opened and a younger man entered.   
  
"I'm going with you to Kyoto," he said as he settled himself next to the brothers, "Ojii-san said I could come."  
  
"It would be too dangerous for you Hataru," said the younger of the brothers firmly in a demanding fashion.  
  
"I'm coming with you," he repeated once more, louder than the last time, "I'm telling you, not asking for your opinion. I want to be there for you, to protect you. The two of you are the direct heir of the Soumas. It would be my duty to protect you and Ojii-san."  
  
"You are too younger, Hataru," sighed Akira, "I wouldn't bare it if anything happens to you. You are like a little brother to the both of us."  
  
"I know," said the younger man understandingly, "that's why I have to go. You are like older bothers to me. I want to be there to watch your back, just like the way you always do for me."  
  
The two brothers exchanged glances before sighed in defeat. The Trio smiled softly to each other, knowing perfectly well this may be the last time that they would ever sit there among side each other, talking about their hopes and dreams, being careless like kids were suppose to be.   
  
~To be continued~ 


End file.
